


Civic Duties

by XanLee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Genderfluid Character, Genderfluid Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Non-binary character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-23
Packaged: 2019-04-06 20:42:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,439
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14065182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XanLee/pseuds/XanLee
Summary: It’s a feeling that has become all too uncomfortably familiar in the past months. Over those months, she’s discovered a few ways to find solace when one of these moods strike. A sports bra and a hoodie she had purposefully sewn half a size too big work wonders, but never has she been able to build up to courage to step outside of her bedroom walls like that.But she knows exactly who she wants to talk to when she does.





	Civic Duties

**Author's Note:**

> before we get started:
> 
> my personal headcanon for genderfluid Marinette is that she identifies as non-binary as Marinette, and she's generally chill with being perceived as more feminine, though there are days when she feels basically neutral or even leaning a bit more masculine; as Ladybug, she identifies fully as female
> 
> so yeah shrug idk enjoy I guess?? this is just pure self-indulgence because I need more NB/genderfluid Marinette in my life so like I'm not exactly calling it my magnum opus, especially considering the gratuitous tropes for trans fics and it being kind of a niche thing, but I figure I might as well hope that a few others will enjoy it if I'm writing it for myself anyway.

The crowd in the corner of the Place Des Vosges for the city-organized meet-and-greet is beginning to thin out and Ladybug leans toward the partner at her side, still looking forward but speaking out of the corner of her mouth as she whispers to him, “I’m sorry, but I need to get going.”

A reassuring hand comes to rest on her shoulder as he responds, similarly keeping his attention in front of him, although his eyes can’t help but dart to her briefly. “Go on, I’ll make sure these stragglers get a rain check on meeting you if they want.”

When she straightens back up, Ladybug is met by a young woman patting a small child on the head, attempting to calm him as she tells him to be patient. “Hello there!” she sings. The woman raises her head back up and opens her mouth to apologize, but fails to do so before Ladybug is squatting to be at eye level with the child. “And who do we have here?”

The child, who appears to be no older than five or six years old, looks up at his mother nervously, grasping her hand. She smiles down at him before looking back to Ladybug. “This is Emile, and he’s just wondering if…”

Ladybug notices the woman’s grip on the child’s hand tighten encouragingly, but she keeps her eyes on him, an inviting smile gracing her lips as not to be intimidating.

“...If I could… If I could get, uh, a picture w-w-with you two?” Emile asks, hesitating to meet the gaze of the spotted heroine crouching in front of him.

When he finally does, her smile warms before giving a small nod. “Of course, Emile,” Ladybug says as she stands back up. As she turns to her partner, she sees him talking with an older fan. She taps Chat Noir on the shoulder with a gentle finger, and he turns to face her after excusing himself from his conversation.

“I thought you had left,” Chat says with a bit of surprise in his voice.

“Emile here wants a picture with us, and who am I to say no to that?” Ladybug explains to him, cautiously placing a feather-light hand on the small child’s shoulder.

“Oh, but of course,” he answers cordially, before shooting a playful wink at the mother and adding, “Just be sure to get my good side.”  
The duo are soon squatting to pose on either side of Emile as the mother snaps a few photos on her phone. As soon as she’s done, Emile jumps to spin around and face Ladybug, and before Ladybug can process it, he’s hurling himself toward her for an enthusiastic hug. As his arms wrap around her neck and she pats his back softly, she hears him say something quietly, not quite a whisper but also too quiet that she’s sure she’s the only one that hears it.

“I wanna be just like you when I grow up.”

As he pulls away, Ladybug feels a small hand brush against one of her pigtails. Emile is staring at it in awe for a few seconds before his mother chimes in.

“Thank you so much, both of you,” she says with a smile as she reaches down to rest a hand on top of her child’s head. Ladybug suddenly notices how short is hair is, it can’t be over a few centimeters long as it rests flat against his head. “Come on, sweetie.”

Emile latches back onto his mother and they begin to walk off, and he gives one last beaming glance back at Ladybug before continuing on across the park.

Looking to her side, she sees her teammate re-engaged in his chat, and decides not to bug him again to announce her departure.

 

She jogs out of the park and rounds the corner before slinging her yoyo to pull herself up to the rooftops. The Dupain-Cheng residence is just across the street, but Ladybug goes out of her way to hop across a few other buildings so she can approach her destination from a more discreet angle. Coming in from the back, the heroine carefully drops onto her balcony, quickly ducking behind a potted plant. After checking that the coast is clear, she lets her transformation fall and slips through the trap door to her bedroom.

Marinette flops back-first onto her hurriedly-made bed with a huff, closing her eyes as she feels herself bounce twice before settling into the plush comforter for a fleeting moment of relaxation. She knows she can’t stay here, that she has a mission and she isn’t about to chicken out on it. Besides, she would feel terrible if she had left her teammate just to go sit around at home. It’s now or never, before the sweet, luxurious temptation of her mattress swallows her whole.

And so, her ocean blue eyes lazily open again, met by a knowing gaze from Tikki. An extended, dramatic sigh escapes Marinette’s lips as she hoists herself out of bed and trudges down the steps of the loft.

As she walks across her room, Marinette’s eyes catch on the reflection in the mirror.

_“I wanna be just like you when I grow up.”_

The young boy’s words echo in her mind, her hand reaching up to stroke a raven pigtail. Her eyes are locked on those of her reflection as her index finger hooks around the hair tie and pulls. The freed hair falls into a curtain around the back of her neck, just barely tickling her shoulder.

Ecstatic, Marinette fumbles to release the other side and tosses one hair tie onto the dresser. The other is quickly used to pull all of her dark locks into one loose ponytail. She scurries back across the room and scoop up a grey beanie next to her sewing machine.  
Once installed in front of the mirror again, Marinette uses the beanie to scoop up the ponytail, pulling the hat forward to settle casually slouched on her head. She leans in to get a better look, carefully tucking all the longer stray locks into the beanie until she’s satisfied with her work.

Despite being pleased with how the hat looks, giving her the illusion of short hair, her eyes can’t help but wander down to her torso. It’s clad in a feminine cut V-neck tee shirt that clings to every curve underneath a light knit cardigan, and something feels off about it. Just not quite right.

Her eyes snap shut, not wanting to look any longer, before she finally takes a deep breath in an attempt to ease this feeling. It’s a feeling that has become all too uncomfortably familiar in the past months. Over those months, she’s discovered a few ways to find solace when one of these moods strike. A sports bra and a hoodie she had purposefully sewn half a size too big work wonders, but never has she been able to build up to courage to step outside of her bedroom walls like that.

Which is weird, because Marinette considers herself to be healthily self-assured and confident. So why is this different?

Nevermind that. She’s determined that she won’t let it be different anymore. Opening her eyes, she strips in a flurry to change into her sports bra and throws her shirt back on. Even without the hoodie, it begins to feel better. But it’s not enough, there’s still the lump on her chest, even if it is a bit smaller now. Marinette yanks the burgundy hoodie from her closet and throws it on as well, and finally she can look in the mirror again. And she’s delighted at the sight.

Well, almost. She doesn’t like having to hide in a shell like this to feel comfortable, especially as someone who is typically fairly fashion-savvy, but it works for now.

Marinette just isn’t sure how much longer it _will_ work, though.

She’s done some research online about this strange feeling, and eventually stumbled across some forums with some words. Words like “non-binary” and “genderfluid”, specifically. She’s read dozens of accounts of others that have waded through the mess of similar emotions, and there’s something warming about being able to place actual _words_ to it.

On the other hand, however, her discover seems to have only exacerbated the itch that it seems only this clothing can scratch. Now that she’s tasted their sweet relief, Marinette can’t get enough of it. It’s for that reason she’s made the decision to take her first step outside of her pink walls like this.

And she knows exactly who she wants to talk to when she does.

**Author's Note:**

> and now we cross our fingers that I will actually write the 2nd chapter and finish this lmao ~~and also maybe someday I'll get back to come again too but literally all of my inspiration/motivation to write has flown out the window rip~~
> 
>  
> 
> [Come bug me on tumblr.](sadrien-depreste.tumblr.com)


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